Lake Natoma, Folsom area. Quick glimpse as it walked off trail. No, was not a bobcat.

Where exactly at Lake Natoma was this? Just curious, as I live very near there and have gone there almost every day for the past 5 years. I've only seen bobcats, foxes, coyotes, and deer there, but I know there are cats nearby!

I've seen two mountain lions in my life and two or three bobcats but never while on a bike. First time, was late 70's and I was very young. We were hiking in Covelo and spotted one with a squirrel in it's mouth. It dropped the squirrel and bolted when it saw us.

The second time I was deer hunting in the 1980's in Mendocino National Forest west of Corning. I was sitting against a tree with a nice view of a large meadow and a healthy looking lion cruised by without seeing me. It was pretty cool.

About 1995, descending Mt. Lemmon backroad, AZ. It was the color of dead pine needles, and flew across the road in one leap, with its long tail trailing...very large cat. I was on one of those 1st gen Trek Carbon htís, with the tubes glued to alu lugs? That bike was fast and stealthy, and I had just rounded a switchback at speed. That was the only lion. Lots of bobcats, etc. Even a coatimundi once! I think that was pretty rare. Still looking for a spotted cat...but once The Wall is built, little hope for that.

Three times in a lifetime in the woods. First was on Point Reyes seen stalking a deer on the hillside south of the Marshall Beach parking lot. The cat saw us and vanished.

The second was on the frog pond trail in western yolo county. It was on a ridgelet above the trail and disappeared when it saw us. There were three guys and four dogs; fortunately, the dogs did not see the cat.

The third was on the Cache Creek Ridge trail about six years ago and was a full fledged confrontation with the cat stalking at me while I yelled and made myself big. It finally ran when I picked up the bike and charged it.

I've also seen bobcats twice in Rockville hills and didn't have a camera with me. The phone pics were just too far away.

Now, I have an obnoxious little cowbell on each bike and I carry bear pepper spray in the wilder places. I'm looking for one of those long samurai mountain lion knives for better protection!

I've also met a bear suddenly on the Mcleod river trail in a confrontation that ended with the bear standing 20 feet away and then running up the hill away from the trail. Thank heavens for the river!

I believe in bells that warn critters that you're coming. Bad outcomes can come from surprising large predators.

I saw a big cat in Annadel this afternoon around 6:00 PM. I had ridden Louis trail from the lake, cut back to the right on North Burma, and had it cross the trail in front of me as I was about to enter a clearing. My thought is that it heard me on Louis and tried to avoid me by going uphill. Then I surprised it when I cut back on North Burma. I saw it leap across the trail about 60 yards or so in front of me, and watched it lope through the field to the tree line. A minute later I passed a couple hikers coming the opposite direction. I told them the story and could tell the lady was freaked out about it.

I've been riding in Annadel since 1980, and I'm sure I've seen every animal up there (bobcats and coyotes included). Two had always alluded me. Mtn lions and bigfoot. Only one to to.

IDK if this is a Bobcat or Mtn Lion - maybe others can tell? I snapped the pic Sep 28, 2017 shortly after sunrise in the Meadow (at the lowest edge of the property) at UCSC. Just by chance I chose to stop and shed a layer and saw it crossing my path. Yep, grainy photos - cat is to the left of the fence post in one shot.

In that same week, I had a bobcat cross my trail at Wilder and a coyote do the same on Arroyo Seco pathway - always right after sunrise.

This is totally a Mountain Lion. Good to see photo proof with all these great stories. Not that I don't believe of all of them. Itís just that there are so many false sightings, Bobcats being the main culprit of the false sightings.

Originally Posted by mileslong

I passionately remove rocks and corners and other stuff I find too hard to ride.

I've seen four mountain lions in riding in an area from San Francisco to Monterey. Once a buddy and I saw two mountain lions at the same time. They were walking along the trail in front of us. We followed them for a short time then they went off trail. We turned back.

Hard to say from the picture, but I'd say it's a bobcat based on following rules:
1. If you think it's a bobcat, it's a bobcat.
2. If you're not sure, then it's a bobcat.
3. If you think it's a mountain lion, it's probably a bobcat.
4. If you know it's a mountain lion, it's probably a mountain lion.

Hard to say from the picture, but I'd say it's a bobcat based on following rules:
1. If you think it's a bobcat, it's a bobcat.
2. If you're not sure, then it's a bobcat.
3. If you think it's a mountain lion, it's probably a bobcat.
4. If you know it's a mountain lion, it's probably a mountain lion.

I saw 4 in 2015, no photos though. 1 at the bottom of Mt Umunhum Road ran across the road about 100 yards ahead of me. 2 in Quicksilver near the top of Mine Hill trail also running across the trail quickly in front of me. 3 and 4th were likely the same cat as it was at the same location on the Randol trail in Quicksilver. All sightings were in the late afternoon. I did manage to get photo of this bob cat last year, also in Quicksilver.

I live in Folsom bordering SP and Reclamation land. Coyotes, deer, turkeys, a bobcat, too many rattlesnakes for my comfort...and reportedly a mountain lion.

I've never seen it, thank goodness. A neighbor told me it crossed his path one evening. Given the location and that he was still living, I'm thinking he was tipsy and doesn't really know what a mt. lion looks like. But another neighbor saw one 15 years ago. So they're not unknown. Dawn and dusk rides make me a bit nervous.

I saw a mountain lion just maybe a week ago on the fire road going from pantoll to West Point. It looked a little smaller than I would have thought, so I think maybe it was like an adolescent or something. It ran right away when it saw me, but the scary part was that I had just passed a hiker with a dog off leash.

That is sad and right up the road from me, first Iíve heard of this. Because of the recent tragedy with the two MTBíers getting attacked, Iím afraid these kind of judgment calls will become more and more in favor of euthanizing rather than taking a chance of another tragedy like that.

Originally Posted by mileslong

I passionately remove rocks and corners and other stuff I find too hard to ride.

Only once, right at sundown at the intersection of 680 and a trail named after a twice a year event. I was downwind around 200 yards away, not sure if it didn't notice me but it was just hanging out not reacting to my presence. Looked like a large juvenile but not fully grown.

Pleasanton Ridge

A couple of years ago I spotted a mtn lion at Pleasanton Ridge on the Cook Canyon Trail, near the intersection with the Cowing Trail. It didnít seem to be a very large cat so I thought it was a bobcat at first, until I saw the unique long curved tail.
It was ambling away from me down the trail, so, like an idiot, I thought Iíd follow it. From 50 yards away it spotted me and stopped. I stoppped. It moved further down the trail and so did I. This ďstop then startĒ routine went on for a minute until it finally cruised off into brush.
About this time a lightbulb went off in my head and I realized I should get the F out of there just in case he was going for reinforcements!

Man! I 100% believe you but wouldn't have believed that without the added context. I grew up in China Camp area and have always assumed there were no Mt Lions up there any longer. It's a tough place to get to for a big cat. They'd definitely have to cross some major roads.....but they've been known to do that, and clearly you got a good look. That's a crazy story!

I do know that in the big drought in the late 70's/80's there were a bunch of sightings in the neighborhoods in Peacock and Glenwood as they were supposedly coming down to drink out of pools. My parents actually called the police once when they thought they had one in their backyard but it was never verified. They said there were clear tracks but I've always been skeptical.

I have spent a many many hours over the last 25 years in the open spaces of Marin and have never seen one. I hope I get the opportunity, but across a valley would be close enough!!

I saw one at Fort Ord (Monterey, CA) last year while leaving Creekside parking lot after a ride crossing the road. It was a juvenile and not a lynx.

More concerning my daughter and friend were on a dusk walk 2 years ago at Wilder (Santa Cruz, CA) walking from Twin Gates to Eucaluptus and saw a large cat laying on the fire road 100 yards away. They didn't know what they were looking at and continued approaching. It got up, and strolled away. Must've been a lynx, I thought. Lots of those around. How big was it? About the size of a large dog. Hmm what color? Yellow. Long tail? Yeah. Not a lynx. Sure glad you weren't walking alone!

Any truth to the rumor that if you see one, they've checked you out a dozen times before that?

I saw one at Fort Ord (Monterey, CA) last year while leaving Creekside parking lot after a ride crossing the road. It was a juvenile and not a lynx.

More concerning my daughter and friend were on a dusk walk 2 years ago at Wilder (Santa Cruz, CA) walking from Twin Gates to Eucaluptus and saw a large cat laying on the fire road 100 yards away. They didn't know what they were looking at and continued approaching. It got up, and strolled away. Must've been a lynx, I thought. Lots of those around. How big was it? About the size of a large dog. Hmm what color? Yellow. Long tail? Yeah. Not a lynx. Sure glad you weren't walking alone!

Any truth to the rumor that if you see one, they've checked you out a dozen times before that?

Iím thinking you are mistaking Bobcat for Lynx. Although there are small populations of Lynx in the Sierras the more common sight anywhere else in California is a Bobcat. So similar in looks but actually quite different to the trained eye. Here is an example of the two in looks and description.

Bobcat

Lynx

Mountain Lion

Originally Posted by mileslong

I passionately remove rocks and corners and other stuff I find too hard to ride.

Saw one while riding in Pine Valley, Ca. with my dad and uncle back in the early 90s. We lived in Pine Valley and my dad and uncle would actually seen one, or maybe a few different ones, about once a year up there. At the time, there hadn't really been any issues with mountain lions, so it was more my dad pointing up to rocky cliff way above us and saying "Look! There's one!" I looked up just in time to see it looking down at us, see that we saw it and turn and walk away. We all thought it was cool.

I think a year later a lady was killed by one while hiking in the nearby mountains and my aunt and her friend were the people who found the lady's body while hiking. Suddenly mountain lions went from something cool to see in the wild to kinda scary. We couldn't get my aunt to got out into the mountains for any reason for several years after that.

Many years ago, I was in the Japan Alps to do some mountain climbing. It was winter, and I was alone. While I was walking down the road to the trailhead, I turned around and noticed a good-sized animal, light brown in color, about 75-100 yards away. It was slowly walking toward me on all fours.

I thought, ďWTF is a mountain lion doing in Japan?Ē When it got closer ó my eyes ainít all that good without glasses ó I could finally make out enough detail to ID it. A Japanese macaque. Check out the pic at the link and you might understand how I could mistake one of them for a mountain lion.

Saw one while riding in Pine Valley, Ca. with my dad and uncle back in the early 90s. We lived in Pine Valley and my dad and uncle would actually seen one, or maybe a few different ones, about once a year up there. At the time, there hadn't really been any issues with mountain lions, so it was more my dad pointing up to rocky cliff way above us and saying "Look! There's one!" I looked up just in time to see it looking down at us, see that we saw it and turn and walk away. We all thought it was cool.

I think a year later a lady was killed by one while hiking in the nearby mountains and my aunt and her friend were the people who found the lady's body while hiking. Suddenly mountain lions went from something cool to see in the wild to kinda scary. We couldn't get my aunt to got out into the mountains for any reason for several years after that.

My girlfriend and I hiked that same trail ďthe day beforeĒ Iris Kenna, 58, a San Diego high school was attacked and killed. The trail climbs to a peak called Stonewall. We had hiked it several times prior without any weird feeling, yet that day we both commented we felt something or someone was watching us. I canít help but wonder if we were stalked by that cat.

Refer to post #47 of this thread.

Originally Posted by mileslong

I passionately remove rocks and corners and other stuff I find too hard to ride.

I Haven't read this entire post but wanted to share a sighting that a friend captured on her CDT thru hike. She's vlogging her journey (as she did on the PCT and AT) and luckily captured some of the best in-person footage of a juvenile cat that I have seen. I believe this is in Northern NM. The cat appears at about 3:57 in

I Haven't read this entire post but wanted to share a sighting that a friend captured on her CDT thru hike. She's vlogging her journey (as she did on the PCT and AT) and luckily captured some of the best in-person footage of a juvenile cat that I have seen. I believe this is in Northern NM. The cat appears at about 3:57 in

That's GNARLY and unusual for a cat (healthy) to be out in the day cruisin'. She's lucky he wasn't hungry.

-My kitty experience happened in Fort Ord near the D.O.D. buiding about a mile out....I was solo on my singlespeed and in a densely covered oak-studded valley and rounded a long sweeping corner and there he/she was, sitting on it's rear, tail swishing and it snaps it's head around to see what's coming then takes 1 leap and it's gone.

So was I. As fast as that singledingle would go!

"There's two kinds of people in this world - Walkers and Talkers." Which one are you?

Saw my first puma ever yesterday at Skyline Ridge around 9:30am. Was rounding a corner coming down Sunny Jim and it was right in the middle of the fire road. It all happened very quickly but he/she instantly saw me and bolted straight up the hill. Absolutely amazing display of speed and power. I was definitely a little skittish for the rest of my ride!

Saw a Mountain Lion while MTBing in Joaquin Miller park back in December. I was riding with a friend, we were on Sunset trail, about 7pm, it was dark and we had lights on, we were about 40' from the bathrooms. The Mountain Lion ran between us and the bathrooms. Fast and quiet.

Figure it was bound to happen sooner or later but saw my first cougar today. Was riding alone in SLO at Irish Hills. Planned on taking lower mariposa up to Froom and then over to Wednesday before riding up Froom again and finishing on Mariposa. Hit the trailhead around 9 am on an unusually warm day. About a half mile up lower mariposa I saw what appeared to be a mangy hind quarter of a large dog. Then I got closer and the brush cleared and I clearly was able to see the tail of a large, adult mountain lion. At this point I stopped and it did the same. We stared into each otherís souls for about 20-30 seconda but it felt like 5 minutes. It was kind of a surreal moment and I didnít feel threatened at any point. We were kind of just checking each other out so I figured Iíd try to capture this moment with a picture of course.

Shortly after I got the picture the lion trotted up the trail into the next wooded section. Needless to say I did not follow. Once I was sure it was gone I hauled down hill back to the trailhead. Then drove over to MDO and got a ride in over there!

Didnít expect to see one this close to town and this late in the morning but it was an exciting moment to say the least. Ran into some locals at MDO and they said that area had been shut down for a bit last year after a mom and her cubs were spotted there.

Pretty cool experience but Iím good with seeing anymore of those for quite some time!

Figure it was bound to happen sooner or later but saw my first cougar today. Was riding alone in SLO at Irish Hills. Planned on taking lower mariposa up to Froom and then over to Wednesday before riding up Froom again and finishing on Mariposa. Hit the trailhead around 9 am on an unusually warm day. About a half mile up lower mariposa I saw what appeared to be a mangy hind quarter of a large dog. Then I got closer and the brush cleared and I clearly was able to see the tail of a large, adult mountain lion. At this point I stopped and it did the same. We stared into each otherís souls for about 20-30 seconda but it felt like 5 minutes. It was kind of a surreal moment and I didnít feel threatened at any point. We were kind of just checking each other out so I figured Iíd try to capture this moment with a picture of course.

Shortly after I got the picture the lion trotted up the trail into the next wooded section. Needless to say I did not follow. Once I was sure it was gone I hauled down hill back to the trailhead. Then drove over to MDO and got a ride in over there!

Didnít expect to see one this close to town and this late in the morning but it was an exciting moment to say the least. Ran into some locals at MDO and they said that area had been shut down for a bit last year after a mom and her cubs were spotted there.

Pretty cool experience but Iím good with seeing anymore of those for quite some time!

Thiis morning I saw a warning sign that mountain lions had recently been spotted in the park. Not far past the sign I went around a corner to find a medium size bobcat crouched down facing me on the trail, about 8-10ft away. Even in the moment of coming face-to-face with a bobcat, all I felt was relief and laughter that I had found that "mountain lion"

Ok, this is TOO CLOSE

I've seen three. one on Hick's road at night (I was in my car) two years ago...one in Picchetti ranch just a couple days before that little kid got jumped by that cat about 4 years ago...and in Steven's Canyon about 10 years ago. multiple spottings in and around my neighborhood in Los Gatos...no surprise given the city's name ;-)

Holy sh1t! After living in prime mountain lion territory in various places around Santa Cruz for the past 20 years, I finally saw one in person today. The crazy thing is this was in a place probably everyone on this forum has been to, and which sees probably hundreds of people daily (certainly on the weekends) - on the frickin' fire road up through Nisene, about 9:30 AM today! About 1/3 of the way between the top of the incline and sand point. Came around a bend and there he was, running the other way about 50 feet away. DEFINITELY a lion. He ran up the embankment on the other side and disappeared, didn't even have time to pull out my phone and grab a pic.

A few other less close encounters:

I live right by the entrance to Nisene, kinda by where everyone parks to ride there, and they're around there too. My neighbor has a wildlife camera that she uses to see what wildlife is going by behind the house (row of town homes that butt up close to the creek). A couple times now she's caught a lion on that camera at night, right there behind the house, like 15 feet from the back door. Right by where I take the dogs out to potty.

Years ago I lived up on Empire Grade (literally across the street from a certain mailbox that a certain trail may or may not have been named after). One day my neighbor found a mountain lion napping on her front deck. Apparently her cat went missing around the same time...

Years before that I lived way up above Boulder Creek, across from Little Basin. There was a trail going into Big Basin right from my house. Because I was a dumbass, I used to sometimes hike that trail at night with a headlamp. One afternoon I was out on that trail just a little ways behind the house, and I got this weird feeling like I was being watched. The hair on the back of my neck was crawling. The next day my neighbor said their dog had disappeared, and a few days later they found the poor dog's remains. I'm convinced that day I thought I was being watched, the cat was there stalking me. Stopping hiking that trail at night after that...

Jim- Good one! I was out there yesterday morning. No cats, but I saw my first Nisene coyote--about 10 seconds in from the condo entrance. Did you happen to see the party starter (little bottle of rum and an unrolled joint) on the P___ trail?!

Ranchers just want to let their animals roam around, always encroaching farther into wild animal habitat, with minimal fencing and no guard dogs. Presumably it's cheaper. And then we shoot the predators for simply following their instincts. God that makes me mad. They do it to wolves as well.

ďThe movement was inspired by a furor in 1996 over the proposed use of livestock protection collars ó containing poison ó on sheep in West Marin. At that time, coyotes were killing hundreds of lambs and ewes every year. The poison killed the coyotes when they attacked.

Most sheep ranchers in Marin ó some two dozen of themó purchased guardian dogs, which naturally bond with sheep and goats, and aggressively protect them. The dogs reduced predation at a fraction of the cost of predator control under the Wildlife Services program, according to county agricultural officials.Ē

Ranchers just want to let their animals roam around, always encroaching farther into wild animal habitat, with minimal fencing and no guard dogs. Presumably it's cheaper. And then we shoot the predators for simply following their instincts. God that makes me mad. They do it to wolves as well.

100% agreed! Pissed me off to read it.

You're entitled to your own opinion, but you're not entitled to your own facts.

ďThe movement was inspired by a furor in 1996 over the proposed use of livestock protection collars ó containing poison ó on sheep in West Marin. At that time, coyotes were killing hundreds of lambs and ewes every year. The poison killed the coyotes when they attacked.

Most sheep ranchers in Marin ó some two dozen of themó purchased guardian dogs, which naturally bond with sheep and goats, and aggressively protect them. The dogs reduced predation at a fraction of the cost of predator control under the Wildlife Services program, according to county agricultural officials.Ē

Wow! Who would have thought! Guard dogs! FFS

Uh...who would NOT have thought...Dogs RULE...and like it was said, we encroach on their territory. Sad day for humanity.

Wondering if some motion activated flood lights wouldn't also scare them away! People suck. (bikes rule)

Saw a big mountain lion today at the Gap around 2:10p coming down the long ridge to peter's flat DH. I got within 10 feet of it as I was going downhill, I surprised the cat which was in the middle of the trail just past the tree on the left as the trail veers to the right. I said oh sh*t as it jumped up the hill. The cat did not take off though, I glanced to the right as I went by and it was still just off the trail half turned around looking at me. So I hissed at it for some reason and jumped on the gas.
Also almost got broadsided by a deer just after the start of the longridge ST but that seems to happen fairly regularly.
Cool seeing the wild life out and about but after seeing the lion I decided to only do one loop and call it a day...
I've seen them from a distance on Mission Peak but have never been that close (at least that I know of).

I think that is the tell-tale tail. Mtn lions usually have black at the end of a long tail.

On the other hand, the only mountain lions I have seen out and about are at night, and I've seen dozens of bobcats around UCSC in this area during the day. (They liked prowling around the faculty housing area because it is infested with rats.)

I ran into a mountain lion about 10 years ago as I was riding down Canyon trail (at exactly 15mph of course). When I rounded a corner somewhere between Indian Creek and Grizzly flat trail junctions I saw the lion standing accross the trail about 30 feet ahead. I could have stopped right in front of the cat, but that seemed like a bad idea and aimed for the lion's tail instead. We locked eyes and with a few feet to spare the lion jumped of the trail and let me pass. I may have broken the 15mph speed limit for a while after, but thought any ranger would accept my excuse.

Seen more of them than anyone Iíve met. Eight cat sighting in CA and MT. Twice I saw two together. These two ran right in front of my car. The other time I saw two we passed on bike within 20 feet of their location on the road shoulder.

I ran into a mountain lion about 10 years ago as I was riding down Canyon trail (at exactly 15mph of course). When I rounded a corner somewhere between Indian Creek and Grizzly flat trail junctions I saw the lion standing accross the trail about 30 feet ahead. I could have stopped right in front of the cat, but that seemed like a bad idea and aimed for the lion's tail instead. We locked eyes and with a few feet to spare the lion jumped of the trail and let me pass. I may have broken the 15mph speed limit for a while after, but thought any ranger would accept my excuse.

Seen more of them than anyone Iíve met. Eight cat sighting in CA and MT. Twice I saw two together. These two ran right in front of my car. The other time I saw two we passed on bike within 20 feet of their location on the road shoulder.

I wouldn't have imagined the pair that bolted across a paved wash in front of my diesel would stop 100 yards later for me to video them. Curious cats. But I have seen one just lounging while several riders gawked and took pics. They aren't super skittish IME, just slyly elusive.

I'm a creative mercenary but spend copious time on bikes and living in/traveling through cat country.